My grandfather told me “find a job you love, and you'll never have to work a day in your life”. I love racing.
This project started in the summer of 2008 when I first contacted Terry about working with him at the Michigan Racing Scene. Like so many others in the Great Lakes area, I found out that I was losing my job of 15 years and would soon be unemployed for the first time in my adult life.
I had experience working in the media and decided I wanted to apply my marketing and media skills within the racing industry. Once I made that decision, things moved pretty fast.
I knew that Terry Fitzwater had moved to New Mexico and was enjoying life. I had heard through various people that the Michigan Racing Scene paper might need a person on the ground in Michigan. With this in mind, I contacted Terry about working with him and the Michigan Racing Scene. Those conversations evolved and developed over the late summer and early fall.
In the meantime, my good friend Dennis O'Neil suggested we talk to Dick Beebe about the MARC Times Racing News. I talked Dick on the several times and finally in November, Dennis and I drove up to Comstock Park and met with Dick and Kathie. Over dinner, we discussed the MARC Times Racing News and finalized its acquisition.
Terry Fitzwater and I continued our conversations and over the Christmas holiday's as we framed the structure of a deal to acquire The Michigan Racing Scene. The acquisition was formalized in January just prior to the MARFC banquet.
Just as told by Gary Lindahl in his column, I had gone from “From Pony Stock to Publisher.”
Since January, it’s been a whirlwind of activity. Seeking out the racetracks and introducing myself and the newly combined “MARC Times Racing News & Michigan Racing Scene” to promoters and track owners. I have been attending as many track banquets and driver meetings as possible to acquaint myself with the people and personalities in our great sport. Many days have been spent approaching potential advertisers and sponsors about the new publication, its platform and the marketing mission. Carefully building a great new website (http://www.marctimesracingnews.com or http://www.michiganracingscene.com) was also essential. During this whole process was the ongoing task of recruiting a staff of new writers and track reporters as well as contacting the previous writers thereby putting together the best team to insure that this will be one the best publications of its kind.
We are now one big group as we work elevating and evaluating our path going forward.
Suddenly, it was Monday March 30th. We were going to press the next morning with the new paper and our managing editor Tom Gillispie stated “you haven't written your Publisher's Column yet!” He was right, but I didn't think it would be any big thing. I'm a pretty verbose guy and as Ed Inloes pointed out his column, I've never been a guy short on words. In my desk I had a pen that Dick had given me and I had planned on using that pen when I wrote my first publisher's column.
So as I sat at my desk, opened the drawer, reached for that pen I thought ... “Wow is this pen heavy!!” I didn't recall it being that heavy when Dick handed it to me and I didn't recall it being so heavy when I put it in the drawer. But now that I was preparing to write with it, the pen weighed a ton.
Then it dawned on me. It wasn't the pen that was heavy. It was the responsibility and expectations that came with the pen which weighed so much. I hadn't realized it when I was handed the pen or when I had put it away. Now as I was preparing to actually use the pen, I could feel its weight.
Rather then tell you all the great things we are planning on accomplishing, or all the interesting new features and promotions we are going to present, I just want to say, “We want to earn your trust!”
We realize that over the last few years the MARC Times Racing News and the Michigan Racing Scene at certain times might not have met your expectations. For some maybe it did, but for others, maybe it didn't. We not only want to meet your expectations, we want to exceed your expectations.
Not every swing can be a home run, not every catch is a touchdown. Nobody goes to Victory Lane every time out. But week-in and week-out we want you to see a continually improving publication which meets or exceeds your expectations.
That is my goal and my commitment to you.
